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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28969008">Truth As It Trips Off Your Tongue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WittyWallflower/pseuds/WittyWallflower'>WittyWallflower</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Truth Serum, a friend in need, julian is in trouble. garak helps.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:27:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,382</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28969008</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WittyWallflower/pseuds/WittyWallflower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Julian thought the little package of chocolates was a gift for him. When it turns out they are dosed with a drug, Garak tries to help him keep his secrets intact.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Julian Bashir &amp; Elim Garak, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Julian Bashir ducked into his office in the infirmary for just a moment to relieve of himself of the burden of numerous padds and his favorite tricorder. When he stepped back out he immediately spotted a small box wrapped in a silky ribbon sitting atop a nearby console. That certain had not been there a moment ago. There was no note, but Julian didn't really need one. Delavian chocolates were a particularly favorite to only one of his friends. And who else would (or could) have delivered them by making them suddenly appear when his back was turned?</p><p>Julian smiled to himself as he slipped the ribbon off, opening the package and extracting a small truffle that he popped into his mouth. The vaguely bitter dark chocolate was rich and softened to silk on his tongue. Anonymous delivery or not, he was definitely going to have to thank Garak for the treat. His shift was very nearly over; if he handed things over to Jabara quickly, he could make it to the tailor's shop before it closed.</p><hr/><p>If Garak was more familiar with Earth fauna and the idioms associated, he might have said Bashir fairly swanned into his shop. He knew many of the doctor's grins, but this one was particularly engaging. And most distracting. But Garak was content enough to set his work aside to greet his friend.</p><p>"Ah," he said, when he spotted the familiar box in Bashir's hands, "I see now what has prompted that smile you are wearing. For once, I can't fault your exuberance."</p><p>"Then you can share the exuberance instead, how about that?" Julian continued to grin cheekily at Garak as he extracted another chocolate for himself, then passed the box over.</p><p>Instead of popping the whole thing in his mouth as was his custom, Julian kept in mind Garak's oft-repeated scolds to slow down and savor things. Particularly rare delicacies like this. Pearly teeth bit in delicately and his pink tongue swiped over his lips for any stray chocolate. The box in Garak's hand were forgotten for just a moment as he watched Bashir allow the bite to melt in his mouth with a faint hum of appreciation for the complex flavor.</p><p>The bob of the doctor's adam's apple drew Garak's attention to the slender column of his throat and when the tailor finally managed to drag his eyes away again, he could tell Bashir had noticed. His smile was starting to look like a smirk. Julian put the last bite between his lips, then held Garak's eyes as he very deliberately licked a smear of chocolate from his thumb.</p><p>Garak watched, expression impressively neutral. But his discomposure was betrayed when the package in his hand suddenly crinkled as his grip unconsciously tightened. He glanced down at it in surprise, having forgotten he was holding it. When he glanced back up, Julian's eyes were wide with pretended innocence.</p><p>"Help yourself," he said, gesturing to the rest of the treats.</p><p>Garak smiled, inclining his head in a nod of thanks and regaining that usually effortless nonchalance. "How generous of you."</p><p>"I know how hard it can be to get a shipment of them way out here. Since you went to so much trouble, it seemed only fair to share them." Julian leaned back, elbows propped on a table, and glanced around the shop, looking very pleasantly content.</p><p>He didn't immediately notice that Garak was watching him sharply now."You believe these are a gift from me?" The tailor asked.</p><p>"No one else has ever given me Delavian chocolates and I can't imagine who would do so now. Though you could have waited to give them to me at lunch tomorrow instead of leaving them in the infirmary for me to find."</p><p>Garak was quiet for a long moment, long enough to draw Julian's attention back to him.</p><p>"Am I to understand," Garak very slowly inquired, setting the box of chocolates down on the table, "these just suddenly appeared? That despite the fact you didn't see who delivered them and clearly no note accompanied them, nonetheless you <em>ate them</em>? Did you even consider the possibility they could be poisoned??"</p><p>Julian's brow began to crease in a frown and he stood upright. The change in position was enough for him to register that something was decidedly... off right now. Julian couldn't place a finger on what the feeling was, it wasn't quite like any intoxicant the doctor had ever experienced, but he knew what was normal for him and this feeling was certainly not normal.</p><p>"Garak...," Julian's eyes were worried now, almost pleading as he looked at the former spy.</p><p>Oh, damn the stars. It wasn't the doctor's fault. DS9 was a safe enough place for its Starfleet crew and he knew Bashir didn't have a colorful past full of dangerous enemies as Garak did. There was no specific reason for Julian to be suspicious of such a gift and Garak could not conceive of what the motivation behind harming the doctor could be. There was really no logical reason for anyone to hurt him in such a targeted way.</p><p>But logic was not particularly reassuring in the moment, when he was fearful for the health of his dearest friend.</p><p>Swiftly, from nowhere that Julian could see, Garak withdrew a sophisticated scanning device. A tailor had no reasonable use for a piece of equipment that was nearly more sensitive than the best medical tricorders, but it would certainly reveal any secrets hidden in the suspect chocolates.</p><p>"Doctor, I highly suggest you expel the contents of your stomach while I determine exactly what we are dealing with."</p><p>Garak nodded urgently to the lavatory facilities tucked away in his back room even as he shook the remain candies onto his work table, careful to touch only the packaging. As Julian disappeared, the scanner set to analyzing the threat.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>When the sound of retching had ceased, Garak waited a few moments then tapped at the lavatory door. It opened to reveal a rather wan and sheepish looking doctor. Nonetheless Julian managed a smile when Garak handed him a small bundle.</p><p>"I asked the replicator for standard products for human oral hygiene. And a towel for you, should you need it. Coarse fabrics produce a pleasantly abrasive friction on tough Cardassian skin, but I know humans prefer softer textures."</p><p>"Thank you, Garak, that's very thoughtful of you."</p><p>Julian unrolled the bundle to find toothbrush and cleansing gel, as well as a small vial of a minty antiseptic rinse. He set everything beside the sink, leaving the door open so he could chat with Garak.</p><p>"Do you know? I never once stopped to wonder about Cardassian oral hygiene," Julian mused as he loaded the toothbrush.</p><p>"Why ever would you have a reason to do so, doctor?"</p><p>Having barely begun to brush his teeth, Julian paused at it so he could speak. "Well, I don't know. Suppose I had a Cardassian patient who took an injury to the mouth. It would at least be useful to know how to distinguish healthy teeth from unhealthy ones."</p><p>Julian returned to brushing again. Garak deliberately waited a minute for him to make some headway at it before he responded.</p><p>"A Cardassian patient with an injured mouth? Dare i hope that in this hypothetical of yours someone has finally broken Dukat's jaw?"</p><p>Bashir managed to laugh around his toothbrush without spraying flecks of foam everywhere. Barely. It was a near thing and that made him acutely aware of how absurd and undignified human hygiene could be, even something a simple as brushing one's teeth. It seemed innocuous but even among humans it was usually done in private. Not since his roommate at the Academy could Julian remember brushing teeth in front of someone who wasn't a lover. With that in mind (and good lord, why was he blushing furiously all of a sudden?) Julian discreetly turned his back to Garak so he could spit the foam from his mouth and rinse his mouth without being observed too closely.</p><p>"Anyway," he said as he rinsed the toothbrush, eager to give himself something else to think about, "now that the thought has occurred to me, I <em>am</em> curious. There must be differences since your teeth wont be made of the same substance as mine, even if they do look quite similar. Actually, you have very nice teeth. I don't know how Cardassians judge such things but by human standards you do have an attractive smile."</p><p>Julian realized he was babbling, and far too freely. Talking too much was par for the course with him but this was getting a little too personal. Garak and his people did not like sharing details with other species, as evidenced by the fact that Bashir didn't even know if Cardassians brushed their teeth or not. At least Garak didn't seem to find the question too impertinent. If anything, he looked amused. But then that wasn't entirely uncommon when Julian was rambling his way into ridiculousness.</p><p>Almost desperately Julian scrambled for the mouthwash, anxious for anything to keep his tongue occupied for a moment. He spent longer swishing it about than he really needed to, avoiding Garak's eyes all the while. He continued to do so even after he spit the mouthwash out, turning his back to the tailor once more. He bent to splash water on his face. His cheeks felt like they were on fire, so he turned the faucet to cold and did it again. It didn't help.</p><p>The towel Garak had produced was indeed exceedingly soft. Scratchy fabric certainly wouldn't do him any real harm but it was very considerate of Garak to remember that humans preferred different tactile sensations to Cardassians. When Julian's face was dry again, he lowered the towel and caught sight of Garak in the mirror. The sight was as fascinating as it ever was, and he took a moment to indulge in it.</p><p>Such interesting gray skin. Julian had never before thought of gray as being a warm or vibrant color, but Garak certainly didn't look cold or lifeless. His gray reacted to light and shadow in ways so similar to Bashir's brown. </p><p>And there was such an interesting dichotomy to his face. The lines of ridges should make him look hard and forbidding; they certainly did for Dukat and most of the other Cardassians who passed through the station. But Garak's eyes were just so animated, so expressive. Even if the expressions were often carefully controlled masks, Julian liked it anyway. Liked seeing the glowing blue eyes and that soft smile below those tough ridges. Even if they were a lie, they were nice to look at. Garak was nice to look at.</p><p>Bashir stared for long moments, entirely unaware of soft grin on his face.</p><p>"You <em>are</em> a handsome thing, aren't you?" He suddenly couldn't contain it anymore, the words just tripped headlong off his tongue, "Your ridge pattern is fascinating, you know. And almost perfectly symmetrical, except for those two scales just above-.."</p><p>Julian cut himself off and frowned.</p><p>That wasn't what he meant to say. What had he meant to say?</p><p>He was beginning to forget why he had come to the tailor shop to begin with. His head didn't feel muzzy, exactly. His thoughts were clear, he just couldn't hold on to them for very long. Unfortunately didn't seem to stop his tongue in the least. He forgot a thought halfway through speaking it but the sentence came out finished regardless.</p><p>It was a pleasure to talk actually, each word spoken brought its only little trill of... something. The words fizzed on his tongue like champagne. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was starting to remind him entirely too much of a few mind-altering substances he'd had the occasion to sample. This was pretty mild compared to party drugs that made him want to hug everyone, but still it felt unnerving because he knew it was unnatural.</p><p>Garak stood there with his browridges raised, surprised by the doctor's words but also definitely quite amused. A half-hidden smile teased at his lips and Julian wanted to tell him not to hold back, to beam an honest smile, bright as you please. Had to bite his lip to hold that thought back from become spoken words. Definitely affects of the drug. Normal Julian wouldn't say such a thing. Normal Julian probably would have spontaneously combusted from embarrassment by this point.</p><p>"It appears I was not able to void my stomach before my body had a chance to absorb the whatever-it-was," he said instead, trying to sound professional so he could muster up some dignity. "Since you aren't calling for emergency transport to the infirmary, I'm guessing its not poison?"</p><p>"No, doctor," Garak promised, "your health is in no danger. The substance is classed as a mild euphoric. Non-addictive, with no known negative interactions for the vast majority of species. And before you ask, yes, it has been... tested on humans. You're quite safe, I assure you."</p><p>"So what is it then?" Julian asked.</p><p>"To put it in rather simplistic terms, It's a truth serum."</p><p>Julian blinked owlishly at him.</p><p>"Contrary to popular belief, doctor, the Obsidian Order doesn't actually <em>prefer</em> torture and interrogation as methods of gaining information. Rather unreliable, and messy. Its much easier to slip a little potion into someone's drink and then get them talking. With just the right dosage and careful application of alcohol, the target remembers nothing beyond a drunken night of pleasant, but forgettable conversation."</p><p>A non-violent way of achieving their means. The doctor was quite sure Garak had been particularly masterful at that kind of manipulation.</p><p>"... and the chocolates definitely didn't come from you?" Julian asked dryly, but he smiled despite himself.</p><p>"My dear doctor, its been many years since I have had access to such substances. Do you really think, if indeed i had managed to pilfer some away and kept it hidden all these years, that I would use it to play a prank on you?" Garak asked.</p><p>"If you had the right motives, absolutely."</p><p>Julian's answer was immediate, and he wasn't entirely sure how much it was being helped along by the drug. He'd meant to sound serious about it, but he was grinning again. Garak definitely would use whatever was at his disposal for any goal he hoped to achieve. It was a testament to their friendship that Julian firmly believed that Garak would never choose to do anything that might hurt him.</p><p>"And what could possibly motivate me in this situation?" Garak asked, making a small show of acting defensive.</p><p>"I haven't a guess at that. Or actually I do, several guesses. But none of them seem terribly plausible. They're not your style. Actually in this situation I think I'd much prefer if it was you. Better than wondering who <em>did</em> dose me and what they hope to gain from it. You know as well as I do that I don't have any valuable intelligence to give up, which makes me wonder if its some sort of personal vendetta."</p><p>Garak found that a tad dramatic (a man like Bashir irritated people at times, but not enough to make mortal enemies) but it was not an entirely illogical conclusion to draw given what they knew. Which was precisely nothing. He was startled when Julian suddenly laughed.</p><p>"All those spy games I play. The reality is never what I think it's going to be, is it?" He shook his head at himself, not expecting an answer to the rhetorical question. And not entirely keen to get started on the subject of his fantasies of adventure. Instead he asked, "Now what?"</p><p>Garak had the same question.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A good starting point was to lock up the shop. It would give them privacy and it was after closing time by now anyway. Garak set about securing the doors and lowering the lights on the sales floor before he returned to the back room.</p>
<p>The doctor was pacing now, restless agitation written across every lanky inch of him. He whirled to face the Cardassian.</p>
<p>"Garak, I need you."</p>
<p>Given that Julian had just been dosed with a truth serum, those words were enough to shock Garak for a moment. He froze midstep, staring at Bashir who blushed furiously but carried on,</p>
<p>"I need your help," he clarified.</p>
<p>"Really, my dear doctor." Garak unnecessarily adjusted his tunic and offered a bland smile. "It will wear off within a day or so and you'll be feeling quite pleasant in the meantime. I'm sure you can keep yourself out of trouble."</p>
<p>At the moment he was a very tempting source of trouble for Garak in particular. Julian had already been quite amusing and oh, there were so many interesting questions to be asked.</p>
<p>"I'm not certain I can," Julian insisted, his words forced from a clenched jaw. "Its taking all my control just to have a coherent conversation with you right now and not word-vomit my entire stream of conscience."</p>
<p>Elegant brown fingers carded through his hair, leaving it disheveled as Julian resumed pacing again.</p>
<p>"Shame you don't utilize that ability to hold your tongue more often," quipped Garak, still striving to regain his composure.</p>
<p>Julian's shoulders hunched and he stilled. What should have been a mild tease landed like a physical blow. He looked away from Garak and gnawed on his lower lip.</p>
<p>"Doctor?"</p>
<p>An explosive exhale and Julian began pacing again, his steps as agitated as his speech.</p>
<p>"I know, okay? I know I talk too much, I never shut up. I know I'm annoying. I know I go off on tangents no one cares about and it takes a tractor beam to drag me back on to my original point," Julian grit his teeth, clenching his fists tightly as he attempted to do just that. "I have secrets, Garak, dangerous secrets. Things no one can ever find out. I know you may find that hard to believe and I know even telling you that much is only going to tempt you to take advantage of this situation so you can find out just what they are, but... <em>please</em>. I-I can't trust myself right now. I know how important your secrets are to you, and as much as I've always wanted to-... I mean, I try to respect that, I really do. Right now I need you, need you to show me that respect in return and <em>help me</em> before I expose everything."</p>
<p>Julian stopped and looked up then. Garak blanched. His eyes were desperate, shining with tears he valiantly held back. This was terribly important to him. Garak valued every scrap of privacy and secrecy he had. Even with the training given to him by the Order, Garak would certainly never want to fall under the influence of the drug himself. It was a harrowing prospect and that made him empathetic to Bashir's fear of being exposed. Fear so strong it would have undone lesser men. </p>
<p>"Perhaps it would be wise to retire to your quarters until this has passed," he suggested gently.</p>
<p>Of course he must help Julian. It was going to be difficult to resist taking advantage of the drug's effects. He had several questions he'd like to know the answers to. And Julian had suggested several mysteries hidden within his depths. But Garak couldn't go hunting for them now, couldn't amuse himself and exercise his skills at extracting information. Not with the doctor like this. He didn't care to ask himself why it felt so important to play it fair. Why Bashir was not to be toyed with. No one else's secrets would have been safe from him in the same situation.</p>
<p>Julian shook his head, rejecting the suggestion he just go home and sleep it off. He'd already been over the options, run through the calculations. His augmented brain triumphing over the distracting euphoria that much at least, but it was not enough. Not enough for safety. He couldn't let anyone find out what he was.</p>
<p>"That's the first place anyone would look for me. My friends, they'll come looking, ask why I am hiding in my room, why don't I come out to Quark's for a drink? How am I suppose to explain what's happening without inviting even more questions? The more questions asked, the harder it is not to volunteer answers, and the greater the danger I'll say too much about-..." Julian clenched his fists tight and screwed his eyes shut at the effort of controlling his words. "Too much about things best left unsaid."</p>
<p>Garak was impressed. Even having expelled some of it, Julian had taken no small dose. It wasn't a drug people tended to fight, pleasant as it was, and those who did were rarely this successful, or coherent. Unless they were operatives specifically trained to withstand such things. That Bashir had mastered himself this well was quite impressive. The fact that he sat in anxious worry instead of enjoying the giddy high was further evidence how very serious the matter was. How deep his fear ran.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to contact anyone for you? Warn them off?" Garak asked, unsure what else to offer.</p>
<p>"No. If I go missing and you of all people are offering explanations, they'll only try harder to find me and possibly throw you in the brig for suspected kidnapping."</p>
<p>It was true; they both knew no one on the station trusted Garak. But usually Julian wouldn't have stated it so bluntly.</p>
<p>"I'm not sure if I am offended they think I would harm you or flattered they think I'm a credible threat," Garak said.</p>
<p>"You are most definitely pleased to have others take you seriously as a dangerous man."</p>
<p>"A danger? A simple tailor like myself?" Said with eyes wide in most unconvincing innocence.</p>
<p>Julian scoffed, but he could sense that Garak was trying to be kind and distract him from more anxious thoughts with a bit of familiar banter. The old game of denying that he had ever been a spy. Never mind the fact that he had openly acknowledged his ties to the Order only moments ago.</p>
<p>"You are objectively the most dangerous man on the entire station. Scientifically so, even. I should know, I've-" Julian bit off his words again with a sub-vocal curse.</p>
<p>Garak raised a browridge, most intrigued by just what the doctor had intended to say. How much time did he spend thinking about how serious a threat Garak was? How much time did he spend thinking about Garak in general? But the former spy compartmentalized that for the moment, turning his agile mind to the doctor's assistance instead.</p>
<p>He was very creative when it came to covers. It wasn't long before he had a plan.</p>
<p>"Doctor, I think you're going to come down with something highly contagious that requires a strict quarantine for the duration. Something that sadly leaves you too physically exhausted and weak to manage more than a few instructions sent through the computer. No serious threat to your health, most fortunately, but quite unpleasant. I'm certain your friends would find you terrible company in your misery but of course you'll be much too ill to chat through the comm anyway."</p>
<p>Garak clucked his tongue with theatrical show of pretend pity, his face a sad mien even as his eyes glowed with his usual delight in spinning a lie.</p>
<p>"That would certainly keep me out of everyone's way for a while," Julian agreed it was a good idea, and well within his abilities to arrange as CMO. "But its all lies, how am I supposed to tell anyone about it?"</p>
<p>Garak picked up a padd and offered it to him.</p>
<p>"Doctor, consider this an exercise in lying by telling the truth. Your challenge is to compose a message to send to Commander Sisko, your friends, and the infirmary staff that explains your 'quarantine' without actually giving anything away. If you happen to mention a terrible contagion you are familiar with and very shortly after follow it up with notice that you will be confining yourself to quarters, you haven't lied have you? You <em>are</em> familiar with that disease. And you <em>are</em> going into confinement. You don't need to speak the falsehoods, simply let others make the connections and the lies will tell themselves." He smiled like a teacher explaining a point to a student he only half hoped would understand it, but didn't want to discourage. "Since the drug is encouraging you to.... overshare, shall we say, I will edit the message of any extraneous information and, if necessary, do any actual lying for you."</p>
<p>"Unbelievable. I'm in dire straits and you're giving me homework," Julian groused, snatching the padd. "Its daunting to think how much I have to learn from you. Sometimes its extremely annoying that you're so bloody brilliant."</p>
<p>Julian was trying to sound annoyed, he did feel quite condescended to by Garak's wise-mentor tone, but his complaints came out sounded more like earnest compliments. It was all true of course. He <em>did</em> think Garak was brilliant, and it really <em>was</em> damn aggravating at times. But in that moment Julian was just so happy that Garak had agreed to help him. He felt so relieved and grateful and protected and a host of other very pleasant emotions directed towards his friend. Giddy euphoria was rising up within him now that he wasn't quite as worried. So complaints turned to compliments and the sour look he tried for shifted into an affectionate one.</p>
<p>Julian really was <em>trying</em> not to give Garak the upper hand by laying all that out on display. It just wasn't going very well for him.</p>
<p>Garak teased with a smug smirk, "Please, Doctor, do go on. Tell me more about how wise and intelligent you think I am."</p>
<p>Julian tried again to scowl at him, but the happy buzz of the drug in his system made it difficult to hold a glare. Pointedly he raised the padd unnecessarily close to his face, both to block his view of the infuriating former spy and to hide his blushing cheeks. As well as the dopey grin that kept creeping onto his face despite his best efforts.</p>
<p> </p>
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